One Way or Another
by Akaruihana
Summary: LightningClan, BreezeClan, LakeClan, and DarkClan, are living peacefully together and thriving. Icepaw would be receiving her warrior name soon, and work on her goal to become DarkClan leader. But a day came when a strange cat comes to the clans and reveals that he is on a mission-a mission to find and kill a hidden threat that could lead to the extinction of the clans!
1. Prologue and Allegiances

**One Way or Another**

Four clans, LightningClan, BreezeClan, LakeClan, and DarkClan, are living peacefully together and thriving. Icepaw would be receiving her warrior name soon, and achieve her goal to become DarkClan leader. But a day came when a strange cat comes to the clans and reveals that he is on a mission - a mission to find and kill a hidden threat that could lead to the extinction of the clans! (Rating may change, and reading would make my day 3)

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**ALLEGIANCES**

**LightningClan**

**Leader **

Flamestripes - Ginger tom with darker stripes and green eyes

**Deputy **

Stormcloud - Dark grey tom with unusual silver eyes

**Medicine Cat **

Snowleap - White and grey she-cat with green eyes

**Warriors**

Thornfur - Brown tabby tom with spiky fur and amber eyes

_Apprentice, Crystalpaw_

Gingerspots - White she-cat with a ginger tail, ears, and nose; yellow eyes

Pebblestream - Grey tom with black flecks and blue eyes

_Apprentice, Rosepaw_

Rainmask - Pure black she-cat with blue eyes

Thrushfeather - Small, light brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

_Apprentice, Snakepaw_

Jayheart - Blue-grey tom with green eyes and a white splash on his left eye

**Apprentices**

Crystalpaw - White she-cat with slight hints of silver and dark blue eyes

Rosepaw - Dark red tabby she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Snakepaw - Very dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Queens**

Ripplefur - long furred golden she-cat (expecting)

**Elders**

Swiftfoot - White tom with black paws and amber eyes

Brushtail - Brown and white she-cat with green eyes

.

**BreezeClan**

**Leader**

Crowwing - Jet black tom with yellow eyes

**Deputy**

Fernleap - Light brown she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine cat**

Flowingheart - Grey tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Sunpaw_

**Warriors**

Oakflower - Dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Larchpelt - Pale golden she-cat with green eyes

Lionfang - Bright golden tom with green eyes

_Apprentice, Mousepaw_

Nightsplash - White tom with black patches and green eyes

Pantherdash - Sandy-colored tom with yellow eyes

Birchclaw - White tom with black flecks and blue eyes

Heatherheart - Brown tabby she-cat with darker spots and green eyes

**Apprentices**

Sunpaw - Golden tom with green eyes

Mousepaw - Small, pale brown she-cat with amber eyes

**Elders**

Voletail - Brown tabby tom with green eyes

.

**LakeClan**

**Leader**

Redtalon

**Deputy**

Eaglewing

**Medicine cat**

Smallcreek

**Warriors**

Bearstorm - Dark brown tom with dark amber eyes

Shadepelt - Black tom with blue eyes and a torn right ear

Opalshine - Pure white she-cat with a tint of blue in her fur and yellow eyes

Seedheart - Sandy brown tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Larkpaw_  
Vinefur - Brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Apprentices**

Larkpaw - Pale ginger she-cat with yellow eyes

**Queens**

Amberpath - Dark red she-cat with green eyes (expecting)

Ivyflower- Silver she-cat with black spots and blue eyes

_Kits, Mosskit, Tinykit_

.

**DarkClan**

**Leader**

Brambleheart - Dark tabby tom with green eyes

**Deputy**

Ashfrost - Grey-silver tom with white paws and green eyes  
**Medicine cat**

Lightpool - Very pale golden she-cat with pale yellow eyes

**Warriors**

Goldentail - White she-cat with a golden tail and blue eyes

Dewsplash - White and grey tom with pale blue eyes

Emberflame - Tom the color of embers; amber eyes

_Apprentice, Icepaw_

Sedgeblossom - Light grey she-cat with darker swirl patterns on her fur; yellow eyes

Meadowflower - Golden and white she-cat with amber eyes

Hailstorm - Silver tabby tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Adderpaw_

Wildpelt - Dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Frostpaw_

**Apprentices**

Frostpaw - Very pale grey she-cat with green eyes

Icepaw - Pure white she-cat with one green eye and one blue eye

Adderpaw - Ginger and red tom with amber eyes

**Queens**

Spottedfur - Grey she-cat with black spots and grey eyes (expecting)

**Elders**

Badgerstripe - White tom with white markings and yellow eyes

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_Super short prologue_

A cat with the pelt the color of autumn leaves - ginger and gold - was crouched with his head bowed to the ground. Another cat, hidden in the shadows so that only a pair of shining, frosty blue eyes were visible, had their gaze fixed intently upon the crouching cat.

After a moment or two of silence, the golden ginger cat let out a deep meow, voice full of disapproval. "Are you sure this is necessary?"

The pair of blue eyes shifted, and then spoke, rather impatiently. "Yes, of course it is, Rey. She'll get in the way..."

"I have not killed a cat before. Why not send Jet, or Shadow instead, since they have experience with kills?" The cat called Rey asked, still crouching, but now gazing up at the cat in the shadows.

"Because I would like for you to get some experience yourself." The eyes seemed to flicker and narrow. "You are not my top choice for kills, but you are very trustworthy, and I know that you would be able to carry out this...assignment." When Rey made no sound, the shadowy cat let out a soft hiss. "I suppose you understand now. Don't waste anymore time. You are dismissed."

Rey stood and bowed his head, then quickly padded away, into the dark trees nearby.

He was going to kill, not for evil, but for the sake of the future.

_(End of prologue)_

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**Author's Note: I have no idea if you're going to read this long blab, but...Hell-o! This Akaruihana, with her first Warriors FF posted on ! Yay!**

**I tried really hard to just think of a story plot. Weird, huh? It's usually the little details inside of the story that are hard to come up with. For me, at least.**

**I hope this FF experience will be fun - no, I KNOW it will be fun. I just hope that I won't catch Writer's Block or procrastinate and quit this story! Eek!**

**This is one of my first stories, so maybe I won't get many reviews/favorites/follows, but I'll give it my best shot, and if you enjoy, fav/follow, and pweash, pweash review, even if you are a critic! I just want to know if my story is actually being read and enjoyed by some people, or if someone would like to tell me where to improve!**

**Sorry this is really short (even for a prologue) but I promise I will write chapter one sometime soon, if you like it. Sorry for the super long blab, bye now, and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi!**

**New chapter. And these clans live on an island in the middle of the ocean, if you want to know. And the "Twoleg water-riders" are cruise ships...**

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"Y'know, Frostpaw, I've decided on something just now." I sighed and turned to my sister as she scrambled to get a better hold on the slick log.

"What is it, Icepaw?" She frowned, not looking at me.

"I'M NEVER GOING TO TOUCH WATER AGAIN!" I screeched to the clear, blue sky, as we floated on a log, drifting farther and farther from the island.

"That's impossible, Icepaw, you have to drink water, too, and sometimes you just _need_ to get in the water."

I slumped down on the soggy wood. "I don't care. Frostpaw, don't get so logical with me, it'll make my head spin."

I could feel Frostpaw's angry gaze burning into my fur. "And whose idea was it, to paddle into the far Blue on a log?"

"Don't look at me, it was Adderpaw's dare." I grumbled, and snapped a couple of small branches off the side of the log. "I was only doing what I wanted, and you didn't have to come along, anyway, Frostpaw."

Adderpaw, also known as Sir-Meows-A-Lot, just so happened to spot a log drifting in the water while we'd come to the sand to play, and dared me to paddle around on it in the water. That annoying little furball...he knew I hated swimming! But I couldn't let him damage my pride - I decided to go on it, and yes, my sister went on as well.

Little did we know, we would be drifting into the Blue on the log, with nobody to save us. Adderpaw had run away, but we didn't know if he would report us floating away ("Hmph. He'd better!") or not.

Hm? What's the Blue? Well, it's a huge stretch of water, so blue on sunny and perfect days that they, our ancestors, named it the Blue. It was perfect and usually calm and shallow, but today there was a bit of a current, and we got swept away.

The Blue isn't endless. That's what I think, but nobody's ever seen another spot of land. But sometimes, we see one of those scary, noisy, and smelly Twoleg things, that travel over the water, and it carries Twolegs to the Twoleg dens on the island, and then they leave. If Twolegs come, they must leave to another place, right? I don't know. Twolegs are strange creatures.

"Let's try paddling back, just one more time." Frostpaw suggested, raising a paw and dipping it into the water.

"The water's too strong, there's no way we can get back. Maybe...maybe we'll bump into some rocks, or another land..." I meowed hopefully.

Frostpaw sighed and laid down the best she could on the wood. "Guess we'll just have to wait. I know how to swim, unlike you ("Sh-shut up, Frostpaw!") but I don't have the heart to leave you behind on this miserable little log. Besides, the island looks so tiny now; I doubt I could swim that far."

I made no comment and gazed up at the blue sky, were a flock of birds were flying overhead, circling the sun. A larger wave suddenly struck the log, and Frostpaw and I were both thrown off as the log flipped over in the water.

Blind panic filled my thoughts as I struggled in the water. This way was up - no, wait, that way was up -

My head broke the surface, and I drew in a huge breath of air. Blinking my eyes clear of water, I spotted the log, which Frostpaw was clinging to.

I couldn't make my way over - not because of my inability to swim, but because -

"Icepaw! Look out!" Frostpaw turned to me, her blue eyes widening with alarm. "Hurry - come over here!"

"I can't," I tried to say. "I really can't." But just then, a shadow fell over me.

It was terrifying to see one of the Twoleg water-riding things up close - it was taller than any tree I'd ever seen, and made noises that I had never heard before. I shut my ears, feeling as if I were going to turn deaf.

Something grabbed onto my scruff, and I looked up. It was Frostpaw who was holding onto me and clinging to some weird line on the side of the water-rider. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she struggled to hold on.

It was hard, but I managed to get out of the water and grab hold onto the silver branch thing. "Thanks," I meowed to my sister, but she couldn't hear me over the thing's noise, so we simply clung to it as it neared the island.

I was nearly falling asleep when a defeaning honk blasted me awake. The thing was finally stopping at the shore - we could go home!

"We're going to have to swim a short way, Icepaw - come on!" Frostpaw leapt into the water, her wet pelt glimmering like a fish, and she immediately began swimming.

I gulped, and inched forward, leaping into the water, and thrashed around until I was able to move forward. It felt like ages until I finally reached the shallow waters where I could stand.

It was a glorious feeling, being able to lie on the warm, dry sand and bask in the sand. "I'm never leaving the ground again. NEVER!"

"Icepaw, Icepaw, let's go. We need to hurry and get back to our territory. It's a little ways off on the right." Frostpaw sounded extremely tired, and we began a slow trek back to our camp.

* * *

.

"I'm really disappointed."

You sure sound like it, I thought, shuffling my paws in the dry dirt. I kept my head down as the leader paced back and forth, starting what sounded like a long, lecturing talk.

"You endangered yourselves and your clanmates, who set out to try to save you. Emberflame's still in the medicine cat den."

Something prickled in my belly. Emberflame was my awesome, nice, awesome, understanding, and awesome mentor. If something bad happened to him, and it was because of me...

"You worried everyone...that Twoleg water-rider was a simple stroke of luck, and to think what could have happened if it hadn't passed by..." Brambleheart sighed and shook his head slowly. "I think that when you have finally deemed yourselves worthy to become a warrior, we'll hold the actually ceremony after two moons - meaning, you'll be apprentices until you can finally understand the importance-"

"IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANCE!" I roared suddenly, shooting straight up, shoving my face right into Brambleheart's. I savored the moment when his eyes widened with shock and surprise, his green eyes flashing with alarm. Ignoring the surprised cries of the warriors, I yowled, "IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT'S WORTH WHAT! STOP TREATING US LIKE FOOLS - WE'RE NOT JUST ANOTHER INSIGNIFICANT GENERATION OF STUPID LITTLE -"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, ICEPAW!" Brambleheart roared, shoving me back. "LEARN TO RESPECT OTHERS, AND ACCEPT WHAT'S COMING FOR YOU!"

I was practically swelling with anger. I hated everything about our leader at this moment...from his toes to his ear tips...why was DarkClan led by such a fool? Were we all this dumb -

"Icepaw." I felt a tail tap my shoulder gently. "Calm down. If we're not going to be made warriors soon, that's alright. We can wait."

We can't. This isn't fair at all - we came back safe, didn't we? Why delay our ceremony for two whole moons?

"Icepaw, I think you'll have to stay in the camp for a while - half a moon at the least. Calm down. This world isn't going to apply perfectly to your wishes." He turned his back on me and padded to his den.

I headed back to the apprentices' den, avoiding the watching stares of my clanmates. This was so dumb.

"I hate that annoying Brambleheart! " I snarled, smashing my paw down on my nest.

"Careful what you say, Icepaw," Frostpaw meowed wearily, though she made no comment against my opinion of Brambleheart.

"You just wait, Frostpaw...I'm going to be the greatest leader DarkClan'll ever have...I'll change the ways of this clan...'Respect your elders', don't make me laugh... I WILL become leader one day!" I vowed.

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.

"...I WILL become leader one day!"

Rey sighed, scratching his ear quickly before beginning to run to where he heard the meow. This is the place, he thought. I know it is...this is the same feeling as before...

The entrance to the camp was very well hidden, in a thick clump of bushes. He pushed them aside.

"May speak to your leader?"

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**Reviewing will make my day ~ **


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